AMSAT The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NUMBER: 96-02 FEBRUARY 27, 1996 AMSAT TO BE FEATURED ON DISCOVERY CHANNEL ========================================= Members of the Phase 3-D International Project Team are now slated to be a part of an upcoming Discovery Channel TV Network program called "Eyes in the Sky", according to Keith Baker, KB1SF, AMSAT-NA Executive Vice President. Keith reports that the 2 hour long, Sunday evening special show will be presented during multiple airings on the network throughout the month of March and will feature members of the AMSAT P3-D team working on the satellite at AMSAT's Orlando, Florida Integration Laboratory. The segment is expected to include shots of Keith as well as Dick Jansson, WD4FAB, AMSAT-NA VP Engineering, and Stan Wood, WA4NFY, AMSAT-NA Assistant VP Engineering, all shopping for "satellite parts" at a local Orlando surplus house. Next, Dick is featured searching for "antenna parts" in the housewares section of a local department store, followed by various views and on-camera comments from all three individuals along with shots of other people actually working on the new satellite in the P3-D Lab. On-location filming for AMSAT's portion of the segment was completed last October just after AMSAT-NA's 1995 Space Symposium, also held in Orlando. According to Paul Gasek, the program's producer/director at Stonybrook Films in Brewster, Massachusetts, the main theme of the AMSAT segment emphasizes that "high tech doesn't need to be high cost." Paul went on to note that the part of the program containing the AMSAT footage runs for about 6 minutes and also features narration by Barry Corbin, the gentleman who plays the part of an ex- NASA astronaut on the television network program "Northern Exposure". The 2 hour long program is now set for broadcast on the Discovery Channel Network in the US beginning on Sunday, March 10th at 9 PM (Eastern Time) and again on Sunday, March 17th at 3 PM (Eastern Time). Another airing of the program is set for Wednesday, March 20th at 1 AM and again on March 20th at 9 PM (both Eastern Times). Keith noted that AMSAT's part in the program should provide, "Another opportunity for Amateur Radio and AMSAT to get national television exposure showing what we Hams know how to do best...being creative, pushing the state of the radio art forward, and having some great fun in the process!" AMSAT is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) educational and scientific organization that was first chartered in Washington, DC, USA. Its objectives include promoting space research and communication by building, launching and controlling Amateur Radio spacecraft. Since its founding, over 25 years ago, many other like-minded organizations have been formed around the world to pursue the same goals and who now also share the AMSAT name. Often acting together, these groups have used predominantly volunteer labor and donated resources to design, construct and, with the added assistance of government and commercial space agencies, successfully launch, over two dozen Amateur Radio communications satellites into Earth orbit. The Phase 3-D satellite, now under construction with the help of over a dozen AMSAT groups on five continents, will be the largest, most complex, and most expensive Amateur Radio satellite ever built. AMSAT is a registered trademark of the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: ============================= In North America: AMSAT-North America Keith Baker, KB1SF; Executive Vice President 1324 Fairgrounds Road Xenia, Ohio 45385-9514 USA Phone/Fax: 513-429-5325 Internet: "kb1sf@amsat.org" -30- In Europe: AMSAT-Germany Werner Haas, DJ5KQ; Vice President Holderstrauch 10 D-35041 Marburg, Germany Phone: (06421) 684121 Fax: (06421) 285665 Internet: "dj5kq@amsat.org"